Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main opposition candidate in the Turkish presidential elections, maintains a calm demeanor in his effort to end President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's two-decade rule. Many of his campaign messages have been delivered from his middle-class Turkish home and shared on Twitter, through video clips dubbed by some observers as "kitchen diaries." He often sits while drinking Turkish tea, outlining his main campaign promises, announcing potential coalition members, and at times, speaking candidly to the public, virtually welcoming them into his home. Such gestures starkly contrast with the elitist image he and his party had previously enjoyed. Analysts say the desire to attract today's voters has led to a shift in the presidential candidate's image over the years. His messages now target Turkey's middle class and the oppressed, the same group Erdogan has long defended.
However, Erdoğan's critics now view him as responsible for the economic turmoil the country faces, largely due to his inability to control rampant inflation, an issue polls indicate ranks high on the agenda of the voters heading to the polls this Sunday.
The "Kitchen Candidate"
The promise to fix Turkey's faltering economy is central to Kılıçdaroğlu's campaign. In a video posted on Twitter on Friday, he stood in the kitchen holding essential goods like bread and eggs, reminding viewers of how much their prices have surged over the year. In a separate four-second clip, he said, "Today, if I am poorer than yesterday, the only reason is Erdoğan." Political communication expert Gulfim Sidan Sanfer, who works with several politicians in the Republican People's Party, stated that the kitchen has become a "symbol" for the candidate, showcasing his "humble life" and how he engages with the daily challenges faced by ordinary Turkish citizens. She added, "He wanted to show that Erdoğan is the one who has forgotten the problems of low-income families."
Nonetheless, his reliance on Twitter to reach voters may not have been entirely his choice. Government loyalists dominate most of the country’s mainstream media, forcing the opposition to heavily depend on social media messaging.
Image Issues
Experts note that when he assumed the presidency of the Republican People's Party in 2010, Kılıçdaroğlu faced an image problem. His party was staunchly secular and nationalistic. Today, having united diverse political players, he is attempting to woo Kurdish votes and even welcomed defectors from Erdoğan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party. According to some who know him, the professional bureaucrat turned politician was viewed as elitist and detached from the working class when he took over the party, much like the perception of the Republican People's Party itself. Erdoğan's government benefitted from this.
However, the soft demeanor exhibited in his home could have downsides. Sanfer mentioned that the kitchen videos might be too weak for addressing some of Turkey's more challenging foreign policy issues—including relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the United States. Erdoğan has managed to leverage personal relationships and demonstrate effective leadership in some of the world's thornier issues, such as brokering a deal on grain exports between Ukraine and Russia, which helped avert a global food crisis.
Public Discourse
In a country where ethnic and religious identity often plays a role in public discourse and is exploited by some politicians, Kılıçdaroğlu has moved quickly to deny his opponents material against him. In a video posted on Twitter from his office last month, he announced to voters that he belongs to the Alevi faith, a religious minority group from Eastern Turkey that has complained for years about persecution in the Sunni-majority state. The video garnered 36 million views. He stated, "We will no longer talk about identities. We will talk about achievements. We will no longer talk about divisions and differences. We will talk about our commonalities and our shared dreams. Will you join this campaign for this change?"
